1. Technical Field
The present invention primarily relates to a portable information processing apparatus, and particularly to an information processing apparatus constructed in which a device for processing information is accommodated within a main body of the information processing apparatus so as to be installable and removable, and a device accommodated therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an information processing apparatus, for example, a portable information processing apparatus, a construction is widely employed, in which a hard disk storage device (HDD), floppy-disk storage device (FDD), battery, or the like are each formed into a cartridge-shaped package and these packages are respectively accommodated in a main body of the processing apparatus so as to be installable and removable.
In this type of information processing apparatus, the aforementioned HDD package and the like can be installable to and removable from the information processing apparatus by a user. Accordingly, replacement of the HDD package with another HDD package in which different information is stored makes it possible for the information processing apparatus to achieve multi-functional features. Further, this type of information processing apparatus is effective for maintenance or the like.
On the other hand, these HDD packages, FDD packages, and the like are extremely expensive, and of course, in order to protect internal information, it is necessary to prevent unauthorized removal of these packages from a main body of the information processing apparatus.
In this case, if a security mechanism is provided for a plurality of devices (such as an HDD package, FDD package, and the like) which is accommodated within the main body of the information processing apparatus, for example, the security mechanism is independently provided for each device, and each security mechanism results in a complicated structure and an increase in cost. Further, the information processing apparatus, as a whole, must be increased in size due to the space necessary for accommodating each security mechanism therein. Accordingly, there has been eagerly desired for security with a simple structure for retaining a device such as the HDD package.